As police investigated and spoke with veterinarians, other allegations surfaced, including a March 2010 incident in which Dunlap is accused of putting a choke collar on Dakota, lifting him in the air and causing the dog to go limp.

Police also said that Dunlap shot the dog with a pellet gun, on two separate occasions in January or February 2010, and then held the dog down and used a knife to remove pellets from the dog’s neck and genital areas.

Dakota saw a veterinarian in May when Dunlap brought him to the Connecticut Humane Society after being arrested on domestic violence charges in May because he could not take the dog with him into his new residence, police said.